


I Need You

by www_haikyuu_com



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Depressing, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-18 18:55:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29373453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/www_haikyuu_com/pseuds/www_haikyuu_com
Summary: I know this might seem like just another Tsukishima x Yamaguchi fanfic, but I promise it's more than that! This story explores the idea that Yamaguchi wasn't always there. Tsukishima makes other friends and comes across other problems. What kind of problems, you might ask?  Read to find out!Disclaimers!!! This book goes completely away from the original canon, but I did try to make the characters that are in Haikyuu as cannon as possible. Also, I do not own any of the original characters from Haikyuu! Any characters that you do not recognize are my original characters! This story is definitely a 14+ as it deals with heavy subjects. Later in the story, there are possible and major trigger warnings. I will put a warning before the chapters, but please be cautious! this is my first fanfic, so please be forgiving!😊
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

January 15, 2011

A knock on a door. Such a small event can lead to so much. I heard the front door open.  
"Hey, is Tsuki here?" Yamaguchi asked. Shortly he opened the door to my room. I sat on my bed reading some book my mom told me I would like. It was a prehistoric book, just another one to add to my collection.  
"Tsuki, have you done any of the homework for tonight?" Yamaguchi sat at my desk, opened his textbook, and set it down with a thud. "I have, have you?" I said. I didn't look up from my book. "No, that's why I asked you. Could I have the answers? I really need them. I got distracted in class and missed almost everything" he looked up at me. I sighed and put my book down. "Well, why would you get so distracted? How are you gonna make it in high school if you can't even focus?" I said. "Come on, Tsuki, please! Just this once!" "Fine" I got up and sat next to him. I grabbed my textbook and read aloud the answers.  
'I'll help him this once,' I thought. It made me happy when he was happy. I guess I just liked being around him. After a couple of hours of "studying," my mom came in and told Yamaguchi that it was time to go home. "Ok," he smiled. He always looked happy. Sometimes his happiness was unnatural. But I could never approach him about it. Something inside me always stopped me. But to be honest, although I didn't realize it at the time, seeing him like that hurt me. He was so close to me.  
"Hey, Tsuki?" His tone had changed, He sounded serious. I looked up. "Yeah?" I was a little shocked. He never gets serious. "I have to tell you something." His voice shook a bit. He sounded like he was about to cry. But I haven't seen him tear up like this since grade school. "Is everything ok?" I said. He sat in the chair hunched over. His gaze had drifted to the floor.  
"My mom got a new job." He said. "Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" I mean, his family was in the lower class when it came to money. "Yes. But there is one problem. Her new job is far." "How far?" It couldn't be too far, right? "Hofu." He looked up. "Do you know how far that is?" He looked at me. "Well yeah. But you will be ok, right. I mean it's a new place, and you will meet new people. Plus they have a festival. I forgot what it's called, but I've heard-" Yamaguchi stood up.  
He now was at the break of tears. "Do you not understand?!" He stood there looking at me. I didn't say anything. I was shocked. I didn't know what to say. "I don't want to meet new people. I don't want to go to a new place. And I don't want to go to some stupid festival!" He had started crying. I sat there like an idiot. He walked towards my door, and I stood up. "I don't get why moving to a new place is bad! I get what you are saying, but it's not that big of a deal!" I yelled.  
He turned around and looked at me. But, he looked mad. "You idiot," he said. My door slammed. I didn't even stop him. I sat down on my bed, feeling weird. Like I had done something bad. But I did nothing wrong. I turned and grabbed my book. If Yamaguchi was gonna be upset about moving, that was his thing. It wasn't my problem. I opened the page I left off on and continued reading.  
I didn't see him after that. He moved a couple of days later. I remember my mom asked if I wanted to see him off. But my stubborn self didn't bother. Now that I think back, I have no idea how much that hurt him. But I was young, and I was stupid. I let my best friend leave with no hesitation.  
I remember the night he left. As I laid in bed, I started crying.  
I never cry.  
I never ever cry.


	2. A Cold Morning

The morning was crisp. I got up and did as I did every morning. I brushed my teeth, put on my clothes, and headed downstairs. "Hey, bro! I made you some special breakfast!" Akiteru said. He sat at the table smiling. He looked quite proud of himself. "You made me something?" I pulled out a chair from across the table and sat down.  
"Yup! And you better not huff and puff about it" he pushed the bowl towards me. "Huff and puff about it?" I mumbled under my breath. Why would I huff and puff about it?! I looked down into the bowl. It was oatmeal. And in it was little green floating things. "Are those...?" I groaned. "Yup! They are! Dino marshmallows for the win!" Akiteru stood up. Brushed his hands off and walked away.  
"That was weird." I stirred the oatmeal. The marshmallows were starting to dissolve, leaving a weird green color. I ate it. It was gross. Akiteru was never the best cook. But I knew if I didn't eat it, he would complain. And I don't want to deal with that.  
My phone buzzed. It was a text from Kudo.  
"Hey, where are u?!?!?!"  
"I'm at home. Why?"  
"Funny that! I'm at your house too! Come outside. We are riding to school together."  
"What? You are outside my house?!"  
"Yeah, that's what I said. Now come on, it's freezing out here."  
I stood up and walked to the door. After I put on my shoes and grabbed my bag. I went outside. And there Kudo sat, out on my front lawn. "Don't be a stocker, I said." He laughed. His black hair stood out in the snow. "Go get your bike."

~~~~~

After riding for a bit, Kudo stopped. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?" He asked. We were stopped at a convince store. "Class starts in less than 10 minutes," I replied. Kudo got off his bike. "Who cares" he had already started walking. "School can wait. I need food." He was in the store before I could say anything. So I put my bike to the side and walked in.  
The store was warm. It felt nice after being in the cold for so long. But it also reeked of smoke. I hated the smell of smoke. It always made me gag. "For the last time! I'm not gonna be your volleyball coach. Those days are over, and I don't have time!" The cashier said he was talking to someone on the phone.  
Kudo walked up to me, eating a granola bar he had just taken off the shelf "hey, you used to play volleyball, didn't you?" He said. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago." I walked away from him and scanned the drinks. I didn't want to talk about it. "You should join the boys' team. I bet it's not too late. If you really get on your knees and beg, they just might let you join," Kudo said. "I'm not joining. I don't play anymore." I walked up to the counter.  
I set my stuff down, and the man rang us up. "That will be 1500 yen." The man said. "1500!?!? But there is only 1200 yen worth of stuff!" Kudo yelled. "Well, 1200 worth of the stuff on the counter. 100 from that granola bar you tried to steal-" "how did you!?" The man pointed to the monitor that displayed every angle of the store. "And 200 yen for trying to steal it." The man just looked at Kudo. "You can't charge me that extra 200," Kudo muttered. "As hell, I can" the man stood up. "It's either you pay it, or I call the cops. You decide." The man held his hand out, and Kudo gave him the money. Though I will admit, it wasn't a very willing handoff.  
The man started putting our food in a bag. "Hey you, tall guy," he kept on bagging. "Me?" I said. "No, not you, the elephant in the room. Yes, you!" He rubbed his temples and looked up at me. "I heard you and granola over there talking about you playing volleyball." "Granola?" I mumbled. What a weird name to call someone. "Your pretty tall." He stopped what he was doing. "Yeah, I'm kinda aware of that," I said sarcastically. He ignored it and continued, "you should join the volleyball team. They are supposed to have this prodigy duo, but I don' know. Sounds like a lot of crap to me. They could use a tall guy, though."  
"I don't play anymore. And that's final." I grabbed my bag and walked away, Kudo following quickly behind. "Man, that was intense." He said. His mouth was full again. But we hadn't even opened the bag yet. That could only lead to one explanation. He stole something also. Although, the bad thing is that I had gotten used to it. We jumped on our bikes and were just about to go when the man ran out the door. "Get back here, granola!" He yelled. "Go go go!" Kudo laughed. "Put it on the tab, old man!" And the next thing I knew, we were off.  
"You know you are gonna get in serious trouble one day," I said as we rode. "Meh, who cares. Live life while you can. You will learn that one-day Tsukishima." He looked up at the sky. "Why are you doing that? You are gonna crash your bike." He looked back at me. "Oh, come on! Way to ruin a powerful moment!" He complained. I grinned and sped up.  
We soon got to school. Late, of course. And waiting there for us was the principal, 1 for, Being late. And 2, stealing from a nearby convenience store.

(Ps. Please do not steal! Stealing is not cool!)


	3. Detention

Kudo and I walked down the halls. "Detention," I groaned. "Yeah, Mr. goodie," Kudo said as he walked in front of me. His shirt was untucked, and his jacket was unbuttoned. His hair was unkempt and long. The bedhead killed me. "At least I try to keep my image up!" I said. He laughed. "What's the point in the end?!" He looked back at me and smiled. I paced up to him.  
As we walked, we heard shouts. Kudo started walking faster. I couldn't tell if he wanted to break up the fight if it were to start of watch it. with Kudo, you never know. "Give it back, Kageyama!!!" It was a short ginger kid and a boy with black hair. He held up a volleyball while the kid complained for him to give it back. "Hey, first year! Stop bullying elementary schoolers," Kudo said. The kid looked furious and shocked all in one. Just to understand what I am saying, think of it as a two-in-one shampoo bottle. "I'm not in elementary school! I'm a first-year! Plus, you two are too!!! I saw you at the entrance ceremony!"  
I almost laughed, 'a first year? He couldn't be!' "If you don't have anything else to say to us, please leave us alone" this time, it was the black-haired kid that spoke. He looked at me with the 'I am better than you look' I scowled. "Well, I'm so sorry... what was it? Kagayami?! But you just so happen to be standing in the middle of the hall. Now, if you would excuse me... move it" I pushed past them. Kudo walked behind me. He looked so proud. As he passed the two boys, he smiled and said, "I taught him that"  
"Kudo, come on," I called back to him, and soon enough, he caught up to me. "You really told them, didn't you!" He laughed. "it really was nothing. I just don't put up with children like that" I smiled. We turned down the hall and walked down the stairs. To the stuffy detention room.  
We opened the door to find everyone there. "The gangs all together!" Kudo shouted. There sat 3 people. And the teacher, of course, but he doesn't count. "Shhhhhhhh." He said. But he soon looked back down at his paper—grumbling under his breath about some student's grades.

~~~~~

Now let me quickly introduce you to my friends. First, there is Sato. She has blond hair and blue eyes. She is easily one of the prettiest girls in the school. She loves to skateboard. And her whole wardrobe is hoodies and ripped jeans. What an odd style. To tear holes in one's clothes. But that's beside the point. She also can hold her ground. And she will put you 182cms under without any hesitation.  
Then there is Nagisa he is Sato's twin. So they are pretty much the same cold personality. He likes skateboarding, but he much prefers video games. They look very similar. However, Nagisa has a green eye as well as a blue eye. Of course, with this, all the girls go crazy over him. He hates it to the point where he occasionally wears contacts.

~~~~~

Nagisa sat at a desk, fiddling with a chain puzzle. Sato sat next to him and watched. As we opened the door, they all looked up. "Tsukishima, Kudo. Good of you to join us," Nagisa said. He was still working on the puzzle. Kudo sat in a chair and slouched back, his feet on the desk. After the days on end that we were in detention and the fact that we were pretty much the only people that were ever there. The teacher no longer cared, so we did what we wanted.  
"So what did you do, Sato?" Kudo asked. Since there was nothing else to do, we would go around and share what happened. "I was caught skateboarding on school property." She said. It was ridiculous. The school let us bring our bikes but nothing else. "It's not that big of a deal. At least they didn't take it." Her head rested on her hand as she watched her brother.  
"Why are you here, Nagisa?" I asked. "I cussed out a teacher." He was so focused on his puzzle I knew that any more questions would soon make him frustrated. "Well, why are you two here?" Sato looked over at us. Kudo got excited. He always does when it's his turn to share. "I stole from a convenient store and then got to school late," he grinned.


	4. How We All Met

I stood in front of the school alone. It was the day of the high school entrance ceremony. I didn't have any friends. I was able to push through the last two years after Yamaguchi left without anyone. 'As long as I just keep going, I won't need anything,' I thought. So I focused on studying, after some time, I fell back. I didn't care as much, so I started to fail.

It had always been that way, but Yamaguchi was still there to get me through it. He helped me get through so much, and I gave him nothing in return. I hadn't even contacted him since he left. He sent me letters for about a year, but I never replied, so he stopped. his letters are in a box under my bed. I kept every one of them. I never really knew why, but I would look back on them every once in a while. Even though he had been gone for so long, I still thought of him. I thought of him so much I would wonder if it was unhealthy.

Yamaguchi had always talked about high school. He talked about how cool it would be to join a club and do high school things. Who knows what he meant by high school things, but I never questioned it.

I stood in front of the school for a while. I'm not going to lie; I was nervous. I didn't want to be alone. I felt like I would stand out more if I were alone than if I was with friends. I didn't have a choice there, though. But just as I was about to take a step forward, I heard a car door slam. I turned around and saw a boy with black unkempt hair walk away from a car. The woman in the front rolled down her window and yelled at him, "Slam that door one more time, you ungrateful brat!". Afterward, she drove away quickly. Her wheels screeching as she sped up.

The boy looked around. He looked upset. I stood there watching him. He looked over at me. I quickly looked away, but he walked up to me. "let me guess, you don't wanna be here either." he said as he looked at the huge 'welcome students" banner over the front doors. I didn't say anything. "do you not have any friends?" the boy asked. 'that was pretty bold' I thought. no one had ever come straight up to me and just asked me a question like that. "and what would bring you to believe that?" I looked at him. he looked back at me "you are all alone and staring at the building like it is a piece of moldy broccoli" he said with a subtle laughing.

Now that he was next to me, I could see him a bit better. He was a bit shorter than me. But not too much. He had bags under his eyes, and his skin was unnaturally pale. His clothes were untucked, and he had a bag that looked like it had been handed down for generations. he also had a couple of bruises on his left arm. "are you ok?" I asked, nodding towards his arm. He pulled down his sleeve.

His smile faded for a second. But as soon as it was gone, it was back. "what can I say? I'm just a clumsy guy!" he said. he looked back up at the building, and before I could reply, he started walking. "I don't really wanna go into this building alone." he stopped and looked back at me. "I'm pretty sure you don't wanna go alone either, so let's go together." he smiled and then continued walking. I started walking too and caught up to him. 'what a strange boy,' I thought. and that's when I realized, "Hey, you never told me your name." "it's Kudo, yours?" Kudo looked at me. "Tsukishima," I said. "well, nice to meet you, Tsukishima," Kudo replied. And we walked into the building.

The ceremony was long, Kudo nearly fell asleep. I mean, I don't blame him. They were talking about some random teacher that had retired after last year. I looked around the room. I saw a few people I knew, but there were barely any. A nudged Kudo after he had dozed off. he didn't wake up. He looked so peaceful asleep. So I shoved him. he woke suddenly and looked around franticly. "it's almost over. They are about to excuse us," I whispered. he leaned back in his chair and groaned.

Luckily that day was only the entrance ceremony, and there were no other classes. As Kudo and I walked out of the building, he stretched. "that was probably the longest day of my life," he said. we stopped at the road. "hey, is that woman gonna pick you up?" I asked. he shrugged and looked down the road. "it's never a given with her. ill wait though, I mean, to be honest, I would rather be here than at home" "why?" I looked at him. "it's pretty outside." he smiled and looked up at the sunset.

"I don't have anything better to do, so I'll wait with you," I said. I sat down and opened a book I pulled out of my bookbag. I read the pages till it became dark. then I looked up at Kudo, who sat across from me, staring down the road. "hey, are you sure she is coming?" I looked down the empty street and back at Kudo. he just stared. "I would like to wait a bit longer. you can leave if you want to." he said, "well, I don't really care." I stood up and looked around.

Under a tree sat two people. Kudo looked back to match my gaze. "Hey, I saw those two at the entrance ceremony. I think they are first years like us." he stood up and started walking towards them, I followed quietly. As we came up to them, I saw a girl and a boy, both with blond hair. the boy was on a game counsel, and the girl was asleep on his shoulder. "what are you guys doing here?" Kudo asked. "first, I have no idea who you are, so why would you talk to me as if we are close. Second, I am gaming. I don't know how you can see that" he didn't lift his eyes off the screen.

"I think what Kudo is trying to ask is why you two are here so late," I said. Kudo nodded. "we could ask you the same thing," the girl said. her eyes blinked open, and she looked at us. "brother, who are these boys?" she looked at the boy. "I don't know. They just showed up," he said. he still hadn't looked up from his console. "I'm Kudo, and this is Tsukishima." Kudo squatted down.

"what are your names?" Kudo asked. the boy looked up. "you want to know our names?" he looked confused. "yeah, that's kinda the point of the question," Kudo laughed. "but why?" the girl said. "hey, if you don't wanna tell us your names just say so but please don't make thins difficult" Kudo groaned. "I'm Nagisa, and this is my sister Sato," Nagisa said. "I hope that is all you wanted, have a good night." Nagisa looked back down at his screen. Kudo stood up and looked at me. "I think that's our cue to leave," I smiled. "well, we will see you later than, by Nagisa. by Sato." Kudo waved and walked away.

I followed. "what are you gonna do now?" I asked. "I'm gonna have to walk home," he looked down at the ground. "ill walk with you until I get to my road," I said. We walked for a bit till the road branched off. "well ill see you tomorrow Tsukishima," he waved as he walked away. I waved back. this was a good thing. I had a new friend. Maybe I could move on from Yamaguchi. No. I could never do that.


	5. We Are Such Good Friends

The sunlight poured into my room. The morning light was harsh, and I hid my face. 'I just wanna go back to sleep,' I thought. I didn't feel like getting up. I didn't want to face the world. But a new day is a new day, so I shouldn't let a stupid feeling hold me down. Right? BEEP* BEEP* BEEP* My alarm screamed. I sat up, turned to the side, and got up. I put on my clothes for the day and walked downstairs.

The smell of bacon filled the kitchen. "Making something special?" I asked. My mom turned to me and smiled. "Good morning, kids! I have some exciting news, so I thought I would make you something special to celebrate" She slid a plate on the table. There were pancakes, eggs, and bacon. "Hurray and sit down before it gets cold" I sat down, and she sat across from me. "Thank you for the food," I dug in. "So what is the news?" I asked.

"You remember Yamaguchi, right?" she asked. I stopped eating. 'What about him' I thought. What could be about Yamaguchi? Why would she have news about him? Did he join a volleyball team like he always dreamed about and made it to nationals? Did he do something big? I looked up at her "yeah." I said. "That's good. You never talked about him after he left. I was worried that you had forgotten about him." He stirred a cup of coffee. 'How could I ever forget about him' I scoffed to myself. Just the idea of forgetting him made me sick. He was my best friend.

"Well, you might like to hear that he is moving back!" My mom smiled. I put my utensils down and looked at her. "He's moving back?" I asked calmly. "Yup" "when?" I stood up and tucked my chair in. "He's coming back within a week, but Kei, you haven't finished your food!" I had already started walking towards the front door. "hey, when he comes back! Could you make sure you are friends with him? He has no one else!" she yelled at me as I shut the door. I walked over to my bike.

My phone buzzed. I quickly took it out and looked at the notification. It was Kudo:

"Hey, hey! I'll be at your house in ten!" - Kudo.

I quickly typed as I jumped on my bike.

"Just go straight to school, 'll meet you there" - Tsukishima.

I put my phone in my pocket and road off. 'Why am I acting like this?' I thought. The wind was harsh on my face, and the morning air didn't help. 'Where am I going' I pedaled and pedaled. But I felt so frantic. I didn't even have to go to school for another half an hour. 'He is finally coming back.' I laughed. I stopped in front of the school and jumped off my bike.

I was breathing heavily. I could see my breath in the cold. It was fast and quick. "What are you doing!?!?" I said to myself. "You fucking idiot" I looked around. Luckily there was no one around, or so I thought. I walked through the front gate. "Hey, Tsukishima" I jumped and looked over to my right where Sato stood with her skateboard in her hand. "You can't just jump out like that," I grumbled. He looked at me, confused. "But I said hey to tell you I was there?" she said. I sighed, "Nevermind. Anyways why are you here so early? Where is Nagisa?" I looked around. The place was empty. And I usually never see Sato without him.

"I came here in hopes of finding him. He has been disappearing lately. He won't tell me where he is going, and it scares me." she looked at the ground. "I'm sure he's fine. You shouldn't worry so much." That was a lie. Even I was worried. Nagisa never leaves his sister's side. But it would be a hassle if I had to listen to her about it, so I tried to reassure her. "Good luck finding him. Kudo will be here soon, so if you need help, ask him," I said as I started walking. "I will, thank you," she said. I chained up my bike and walked towards the back of the building.

I didn't want to talk to anyone right now. So I didn't want to go anywhere I would be found. I went to where one of the gyms were, and I saw two people arguing. I was bored, and I wanted to clear my thoughts, so I sat on the concrete behind a bush and listened. What could a little eavesdropping do?

"Daichi, there is no way we will be able to make it to nationals! even with Kageyama and Hinata!" a boy with grey hair said. "I think that if we work hard enough-" The boy that had been called Daichi said. (We will call him that from now on). "We made it two games!" The grey-haired one said. "Two games! What makes you think that we will last in the spring tournaments? This is our last shot, and we are gonna fail." The greyed haired boy's voice shook. Daichi just stood there. He didn't say a word.

"Tsukishima, are you eavesdropping?" A voice from behind me whispered. I jumped and looked behind me. It was Kudo. "Would people stop scaring me today" I mumbled. "Oh, you shut up! You completely left me and just came to school on your own and on top of that! If you are not eavesdropping, then it sure looks like you are hiding from me." He whispered angrily. "Fine, I'm eavesdropping! Happy now!" I stood up and started walking away.

Kudo stumbled and caught up with me. "Hey, those two are on the boy's volleyball team, aren't they?" He said, briefly looking back. "Don' know" I continued to walk. "I believe one of them is even the captain." He looked at me. "I don't know why you have such an obsession with me and volleyball. Just drop it! ok!?" I walked faster and into the building. I didn't give him a chance to say anything.

The day felt short. And by the time I knew it, it was time to go home. I didn't get detention today, but I was going to go anyways. I had to ask the group about Yamaguchi. 'How will they react?' I thought, The idea of asking stressed me out. We had never talked about anyone else in the past.

As I walked up to the door, I opened it. Everyone was there. I sat down at a desk next to Kudo. Sato sat next to Nagisa, who was gaming. "So Nagisa is back," I said. Sato looked at the floor. "I don't know what you are talking about," Nagisa said. "Didn't you go missing this morning?" I asked. "If it was Sato that told you that, she has no idea what she is talking about. I left her a note, and that was her own fault for not reading it" I hoped that was the case. Sato just stared at the floor.

"Hey, one thing, guys" I cleared my throat. they looked up at me. "Would you ever think about making any other friends?" I said. "What do you mean by that?" Nagisa looked up at me. "I mean, if we had the chance, would you ever invite anyone else into the group?" I tapped my finger on my leg. There was a sudden tension in the room, and it made me anxious.

"We don't need anyone else. We have each other," Sato mumbled. She looked down. "I agree with her. Why would we need anyone else? Everything is perfect the way it is." Kudo snapped. "And no one understands us anyways! You know how annoying that would be to deal with!" He stood up. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just wondering," I said. Kudo took a breath and sat down. "That's good. I really felt scared there. I've never heard you ask a question like that!" He laughed. Nagisa sighed and when back to his games, and Sato just watched him.

"Hey, you all! Come here for a second," A teacher said. We all stood up and followed her. "I'm so glad you all are still here! there is no way I could ever do all this on my own!" She giggled. Kudo and I scowled. We came to a classroom filled with boxes. "Let's see" The teacher handed a box to me and a box to Kudo. "Can I have you two strong boys take these boxes to the teacher's lounge? No one will be there, so take this key." she handed me a silver key.

Kudo and I walked down the halls. We were both quiet. I found it strange. He just stared at the floor while we walked. He usually would talk up a storm. But everything was silent. We got to the teachers' lounge, and I grabbed the key. "Hey, Tsukishima?" Kudo said quietly. I put the key in the lock, "What's up?" I turned the key. "Oh, I just was wondering." He paused for a second. "What are your views on sexuality?" he said. I opened the door and looked into the room. "I don't know. I guess I never really thought about it. That stuff isn't that important for me."

I walked in, and Kudo followed. I sat my box down and turned to him. "But if you were to be gay." He looked up at me. He looked almost sad. "How would you see me?" I stopped for a moment. What kind of question was that?! How would I see him?! I don't know. I opened my mouth to say something when Sato pushed the door open. "Could I possibly get some help?" He said she had a box balanced on another.

I walked over to help her. "Why did you take so much?" I asked. She set her box down. "The teacher said that a girl shouldn't have to carry anything, and that pissed me off." Kudo put his box down. "Come on, guys. Let's go," she said. Kudo and I followed behind. "You don't have to answer that question, by the way," he whispered. "Ok," I said. I had no idea how I would answer it in the first place.


	6. The Day He Came Back

As I opened my front door, the icy morning air hit me. I got my bike and started riding. When I got to the end of my road, I saw Kudo there waiting for me. "Good morning!" he smiled. "Morning." I looked down and saw that he didn't have his bike. "Did you walk here?" I asked. "Yeah, my bike has a flat tire. I'm getting it fixed after school, though."

I got off my bike and pushed it as we walked. Luckily we had left a little early. So we would be on time for school. As we walked, Kudo went on about the homework and how he didn't even bother to do it after he saw how much there was. "You know, if you ever need help ill help you," I said. He was silent for a sec. "No, it's ok. I don't want to waste your time anyways. It's not like it matters. I don't care about my grades anyways!" He looked over at me and smiled.

I wondered why on earth he wouldn't care about his grades. But I didn't say anything about it. That was just who Kudo is. We were about half the way to school when I saw a teen boy standing in a driveway just up ahead. I couldn't recognize him from afar, but he didn't look like anyone from our school. Not that I would know anyways. Plus, I could really care less about anyone. My only worry is the fact that we were gonna walk right past him. And I didn't really feel like socializing.

As we walked closer, I glanced at the boy and saw dark green hair. 'No. It cant be,' I thought. I stopped walking. "is everything ok?" Kudo asked. He fixed his gaze to where I was looking. "who is that?" he stepped in front of me. The boy with the green hair looked at me. his eyes opened wide. "Tsuki!?!?" he yelled, then he got up and ran to me. "Yamaguchi." I smiled. he now stood next to me. "it's good to see you!" Kudo stood there. He looked utterly confused. "um, yeah, who is this?" he looked at me. "this is my old friend Yamaguchi. He just moved back from Hofu!"

Yamaguchi smiled at Kudo. "nice to meet you!" he said with a small bow. Kudo just glared at him. "ok, nice to meet you too, I guess. Now that we have had our greetings, Tsukishima and I will excuse ourselves." he grabbed my hand and tried to start walking. "oh, I'm walking to school too! can I join you?!"Yamaguchi followed. "sure," "no," Kudo and I spoke at the same time. "come on, Kudo, he is new to the school. Let him walk with us." I said. Kudo let go of my arm and scowled. "can I see your bike for a second." he said under his breath. I handed over my bike, and he hopped on. "ill meet you at school." he said, then she sped off. "did he just steal your bike?" Yamaguchi said. I nodded. "he'll return it."

we walked for a bit in silence. "I'm sorry about Kudo. he can be an ass sometimes." I said. Yamaguchi smiled. "it's ok. I get it". "hey if you need any help getting settled in ill help you." I said. "thank you so much! I was anxious about starting in the middle of the year." he scratched the back of his neck and laughed. I smiled. I felt warm. even in this cold, how could I feel so warm. 'I'm probably getting sick,' I thought. I hated that. I didn't want to lose any more attendance points. after all the times that Kudo had made me skip, I was dangerously close to being held back

"so, how has High school been for you?" Yamaguchi asked. I shrugged. I used to be sure a 100% student, but how was I supposed to tell him I started failing after he left. "it's been ok." I said. We walked up to the school. Yamaguchi sighed. "hey, Tsuki would It be ok if I stayed with you for the day? I'm a little nervous." he stopped walking. "sure, if it's what you want." I said. Yamaguchi and I were in the same classes. However, we didn't talk much that day. The teachers kept him busy with getting settled in.

after classes were over, Yamaguchi and I met up. "how was your first day?" I asked. he smiled, "it was busy, but ill get the hang of it. it's not much different from my old school!" I started walking, and he followed. "so what do you do after school?" he asked me. "I go to detention," I said. He stopped and looked at me, shocked "you!? Detention!?!" I looked back at him and laughed. "yeah, that's where my... friends... are." I remembered all their reactions to me, asking if they would be ok with anyone else joining.

"What's wrong?" Yamaguchi asked. "it's nothing." I continued walking. I had no idea how my friends would react. I would be surprised if Kudo wouldn't have said anything already. as we walked into the doors, I prayed that my friends would take mercy. I did not want to fight with them.

I stepped into the classroom. There sat Nagisa, Sato, and Kudo. "hey guys," I smiled awkwardly. They all looked at me, except for Kudo, who stared off somewhere outside a window. Yamaguchi walked in. "hi! my name is Yamaguchi!" he smiled and bowed. "who is this...?" Nagisa stared at Yamaguchi. "this is my old friend. He is new to the school," I said. "old friend, my ass. this punk just showed up here out of the blue uninvited." Kudo stood up. "Sorry, Tsuki," Yamaguchi said. His smile had faded, and he now looked at the ground.

"Tsuki?!?!" Sato said. she laughed. "what kind of a stupid nickname is that!?!" she poked her brother. who just glared at Yamaguchi. "I also believe he is an unwanted guest." Nagisa scoffed. I didn't know what to do. I just stood there. 'why is this happening' I thought. "so you would really just replace us like that!?!?" Sato stood and walked up to me. her expression was terrifying. "no," I said softly. "also, why do you act like you are so close to Tsukishima when he has never even spoken of you!" Kudo looked at Yamaguchi, who stood slouched. I turned towards him. "you should probably go." I said. He quickly looked up at me. His expression was a mix of shock and hurt. I looked away. He grabbed his back from by the door and left.

I stood there. What had I just done? I told him I would stay with him. "haha! Nice one, Tsukishima! you really told that loser!" Kudo laughed. Nagisa and Sato relaxed. "I can't believe he thought he could just come in like that." Sato mumbled. "yeah, that really pissed me off" Nagisa glared at me. it was like he was scolding me through his eyes. a chill ran through my spine. "why does he act so close to you!" Kudo asked. "dunno," I said quietly. They laughed some more. And I still just stood there.


	7. Failed Apologies

I sat in the detention classroom. The others all talked about teachers and annoying classmates. I sat in silence. I didn't want to chat right now. What had I just done? I can't believe that I left Yamaguchi like that. I look up, and everyone stands. "it's getting pretty late," Sato says. Nagisa nods and follows her as they walk out the door. Kudo looks at me and smiles. "a teacher asked for my help, so I'm gonna go help him see you tomorrow!" he walked out of the room, leaving me.

'I have to apologize to Yamaguchi,' I thought as I walked out of the building. I would stop by his house on the way home to talk to him. I wanted things to back to how they were before Yamaguchi left. Times were so simple then. We would hang out and complain about homework. The world always felt like it was just us, and I liked it that way. Although I didn't realize it then, I wish I had.

The sun had now set, and the sky was dark. I looked ahead to see the park Yamaguchi, and I always played at when we were younger. I still would walk past it without thinking. I hadn't really noticed it till now. I walked to the side where a path to one of the playgrounds was. I stopped walking when I saw Yamaguchi sitting on a bench staring off at the old broken volleyball net. I walked up to him.

His gaze did not lift. "it's such a shame that that net is in such bad condition." he said. I looked up at the net. only one side was on a pole, and the net was badly ripped. "I remember when we use to practice there all the time, we talked about being the best one day." I looked at him. "I'm sorry," I said. He looked at me. "you're sorry? That's it? that's all you are gonna say?!" I didn't say anything.

"no-no, it's fine. I understand. I don't know why I thought things could be how they use to be. I'll leave you alone from now on." he stood up, picked up his bag, and started walking away. "w-wait," I said. I didn't know what else to do. But he didn't even look back. He just kept on walking. I threw my bag on the bench and sat down, barring my face in my hands 'why the hell do I keep on messing stuff up' i thought.

"Tsukishima, what on earth are you doing?!" Kudo said. I looked up, and he stood in front of me. "I was gonna catch up with you and walk with you home, but then you decided to take a detour. I kinda heard your whole conversation." I froze. 'he what!?' i thought. "I don't know why you would even apologize to that loser. I mean, what had he done for you? and I saw how he shut you down like that!" Kudo scolded me.

He seemed mad. I just looked at him. "such a loser." Kudo mumbled. He laughed. Then he laughed some more. It was like he just had a mood swing. "but it's ok now, right! that boy said you two would no longer be friends, so there is nothing to worry about now!!!" he stopped laughing to catch a breath. He then looked at me smiling. " let's go. it's too late and cold to be out here."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "you know for how cold you are, your hands are hot," I said. 'and sweaty,' i thought. I pulled my hand away and followed behind him. he talked about something. But I couldn't focus. All I could think about was Yamaguchi. my mind was so fuzzy about it. We walked up to where our paths split. "see you tomorrow," I said, and I started walking. But before I knew it, he grabbed my arm.

It felt like everything was going in slow motion, and he pulled me into a hug. I stiffened. What was going on. "you will never get rid of me." he said in my ear. I shuttered. I was shocked. He pulled back and smiled. Then with a wave, he walked away. I stood there for a good 5 minutes, trying to process what just happened. then I turned and walked home.

When I walked in my front door, my mom welcomed me. "how was school?!" she smiled. "it was fine. I said. I walked up the stairs. "fine! I see how it is! Don't talk to me then! Goodnight!" my mom yelled after me sarcastically. I shut my bedroom door and fell onto my bed. 'what the fuck do I do now?' i thought as I stared at my ceiling.


	8. Friends?

I laid in bed the next morning. I decided I would go to Yamaguchi's today. 'i don't care if he doesn't wanna talk. He is gonna listen' i sat up. I knew this was all my fault, but I wanted to fix it. I wasn't gonna let Yamaguchi get away this easily. I walked downstairs where my brother sat. "take some toast" he threw a slice at me. and I mean threw. "and what was that for?" I asked. he looked up at me then down at the toast that now laid on the floor. "you are really terrible at catching toast, you know that?" he said to me before stuffing his face. I sighed and headed out the door.

I hopped on my bike and started riding towards Yamaguchi's house. I really hated the cold mornings. as I pulled up to his house, I took a deep breath. 'I have to fix this, and I have to fix this now. If I don't. I have no idea what I will do.' I put my bike to the side and walked up to the door. I knocked, and Yamaguchi's mother opened the door. "Kei! it is so good to see you after so long!!!" she smiled. she was always so sweet. "it's nice to see you too," I replied. "Yamaguchi is up in his room! His is the first door to the right." he stood aside and let me in.

I took off my shoes and walked in. once I got to his door, I knocked. "come in?" Yamaguchi said. I walked in and saw him curiously peering to the side from a laptop he was using. "oh, it's you." he said, and he looked back. I sat on his bed. "this is a really nice room." I said while looking around. he started typing. "so how long did it take you to settle in?" I asked. "not long," he mumbled. he was so dry. "well, how was Hofu?" I looked at him. "good," his typing became more aggressive. "look." I mumbled. he turned around. "what?" he said, annoyed.

"I'm sorry. I understand that what I did was wrong" I looked down at the floor. I hated having to apologize. Why did I put myself in this situation? I didn't want to deal with this. "I know," he said. "and I still want to be your friend. So I'm trying to apologize to make it up to you." he just looked at me unamused. "ok. I wanna be your friend too.' he softened his gaze. I sighed in relief. he could have so quickly just let me go.

"but one thing," he said. I looked up at him. "what are you gonna do about your friends?" he asked. "that's the thing. I think it would be best if they don't find out we are staying friends" I scratched the back of my neck. "that's ridiculous! you are just gonna lie to them!?" Yamaguchi frowned. "yeah. There is nothing else we can do," I said. "no, there are definitely other things we could do. But if this is what you want to do, ill roll with it. please don't mess this up."

he turned back around and started working again. "what are you doing?" I asked, and I peered around his shoulder. "some stupid English assignment. I have to catch up on everything I missed," he groaned. he slammed his computer shut. "screw school," he said, staring at it. I smiled. "so how was Hofu?" I asked. he turned around "it was nice. we had a small apartment. and my school wasn't that bad either." he said. "so what made you move back?" I just wanted to talk to him. I felt warm. Like really warm. But I was in a t-shirt. It felt like an inner warmth. But I decided to ignore it.

"my mom got offered a job here. we thought it would be a great idea, so here we are!" he looked up at the ceiling and threw a bouncy ball that he got from his desk. "oh, but there was this terrible teacher from my school there!" he scowled. "how bad could they be!?" I laughed. "bad enough that she failed my test because I didn't capitalize some letters." he threw the bouncy ball at the wall. It flew off and bounced across the floor a bit before it stopped in a corner. I laughed. I'm glad we don't have teachers like that here," I thought.

"Hey, I can help you study tomorrow if you would like," I said. Yamaguchi looked at me "really!?" he stood up and sat next to me. "yeah. I'm not doing anything" I looked at him. he smiled. "thank you!" he said. all of a sudden, my chest started burning. "hey, I think I'm gonna head home." I said. "is everything ok?!" he asked. "yeah, I think I have heartburn or something like that. Yamaguchi started laughing. "heartburn!?!?! what are you!?!? An old man?!?!?!" I smerked. "hey, I don't know," I stood up. "well, I will see you tomorrow! Good luck with you-" he stopped and held in a laugh. "-heartburn," he giggled.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. Then I walked out. When I got on my bike, I got a text from Sato. "please hurry. Nagisa has gone missing again. we can't find him anywhere." I texted back. "where are you?" she sent me her location, and I sped off. This couldn't be good. I just hopped Nagisa was ok.


End file.
